Qing Jialu

Three days later, the emperor issued a decree to promote a group of officials, including Shen Jia, the former magistrate of Qingshui County, who was transferred to the head of the Sixth Division.

Shen Jia returned to the capital again, and did not piss off Wu Shang and Wu Ge to death.Back then, he was Mr. Wu Ge who wrote a letter of impeachment. He was suppressed and excluded by Mr. Wu's followers and demoted to the northwest.

It's a pity that now it's not the chaotic Yongwen Dynasty, Wu Shang can only watch Shen Jia return to the capital, dangling under his nose.

Since entering Beijing, Shen Jia has been keeping an eye on Mr. Wu Ge, but found that Mr. Wu Ge is much more honest than before, he dare not take bribes, dare not form cliques for personal gain, instead, he puts all his energy into serving the court.Trembling every day, as if facing an abyss, like walking on thin ice, no longer as unscrupulous as Yongwen Dynasty.

This made Shen Jia have to admire the current emperor's imperial methods.I heard that when His Majesty first ascended the throne, in order to appease the gentry, he did not kill the old officials of Yongwen. Instead, he ordered Mr. Wu Ge and others to stay in the cabinet, but the chief assistant was replaced by His Majesty's confidant Cheng Weiting.Wu Gelao and other Yongwen old ministers have long existed in name only and have no real power.

Shen Jia is not a person who must take revenge, public affairs are public affairs, private affairs are private affairs.He will not arrange crimes and frame him, but he will definitely keep a close eye on Wu Gelao's every move.

In addition, he also developed a new habit - to observe His Majesty.

I still remember that after the face-to-face meeting, Xiaotong asked him how His Majesty was doing.Shen Jia thought for a long time before answering: "Your Majesty is a very gentle and contradictory person."

The little boy was puzzled when he heard this.Shen Jia said, "I am becoming more and more curious about Your Majesty."

Curious, really curious.Every day, Shen Jia watched His Majesty listen to the government in the morning, listened to His Majesty's questioning of government ministers, and watched His Majesty's review of memorials.He found that His Majesty was gentle and not very angry.When the elders in the cabinet had different political views and quarreled, His Majesty easily resolved it with a few words, and also convinced both parties.

Today, there are hills and valleys in his chest, and he has means to govern the country, and he is not controlled by powerful ministers and relatives. No matter how you look at it, he is the appearance of a wise king.

It's just that when Shen Jia saw the memorial reviewed by His Majesty for the first time, she was still taken aback, and even wondered if it was written by His Majesty himself.Although the handwriting on it is neat and neat, the strokes are soft and weak, perhaps because of insufficient wrist strength.

Would a person who practiced martial arts, a young general, have insufficient wrist strength?

Shen Jia recalled that when they first met, His Majesty was even bad at walking and could only rely on a wheelchair.I don't know if it was because he was injured on the battlefield before, or for some other reason.

But Shen Jia saw that His Majesty was walking safely, and the worries in her heart were slowly let go.

One month later, Shen Jia gained a firm foothold in the capital, got to know colleagues in the six subjects, and gradually became familiar with the affairs of the court.He is mainly responsible for the household department in charge of the imperial court's money, and he is very familiar with managing money.

Recently, King Kui repaired the palace on a large scale and asked the Ministry of Households for 50 taels of silver.After Shen Jia learned about it, she was furious.He looked through the accounts of the Ministry of Households last year and found that this was not the first time King Kui asked the Ministry of Households for money.But after a year of procrastination, the scale of the palace expanded and expanded, and the money was invested again and again, King Kui was still not satisfied.

Shen Jia couldn't understand this kind of prodigal, and wanted to dismiss it with a swipe of a pen, but was stopped by her colleague Li Yuanpei.

Li Yuanpei kindly advised Shen Jia not to provoke King Kui.

"Why?" Shen Jia was puzzled, could it be because King Kui is His Majesty's brother?Even if they were born to the same parents, would there be true feelings between their royal brothers?

"Your Majesty Shen just came here, so you don't know yet." Master Li stroked his beard and explained to him, "King Kui is now a favorite. His Majesty took the throne and recalled his third younger brother from the fief of Kuizhou. You I also know that the princes of this dynasty will go to the fief after they come of age, except for the future heir to the throne. But His Majesty left King Kui in the capital, there is a lot of meaning in this."

Shen Jia was startled, and thought to himself, could it be that His Majesty intends to say that he is located in King Kui?Impossible, Your Majesty is only a few years older than King Kui, besides, why did you pass it on to your younger brother instead of your own heir?Although, His Majesty currently has no children, no wives and concubines.

Speaking of His Majesty's heir, Shen Jiacai discovered a strange thing belatedly.Your Majesty has been on the throne for more than a year, but none of the courtiers have written a letter to persuade him to stand up?

Aren't the ministers worried about the country?Or is there another secret?

Shen Jia thought a lot, ran back after turning around, cupped her hands to Master Li, and said, "Thank you, Master Li for your kindness, but it's just that Shen has to take care of the mishandling of the household department for the matter. "

"Hey, you, you." Master Li shook his head and said, "It's good to be young, to be hard-working. Since Master Shen is determined to do so, I won't say any more."

Shen Jia rejected King Kui's request, which immediately caused an uproar in the court.King Kui entered the palace early in the morning and ran to the emperor to complain, "Second brother, the household department has already approved it, but it turned out to be stuck with Shen Jia. This person is just a junior seventh-rank official. With a few powers, do you dare to shake the sky in the capital? Second brother, he refuted that my money is small, but the palace cannot be built, and the court’s face has been damaged, what should I do?"

The emperor did not expect Shen Jia to be so courageous.He comforted King Kui with a smile, "Don't worry, your palace will be completed. Since I let you live in Beijing, I will naturally make you live comfortably."

"Really, Second Brother?" King Kui suddenly showed joy, thinking that his emperor's elder brother still favored him, so he stopped acting in bitter scenes and resigned happily.

After King Kui left, Eunuch Chen standing behind the emperor said softly, "Is Your Majesty going to punish Lord Shen?"

"To be loyal, do you also think that I am too partial to King Kui?" the emperor asked.

Eunuch Chen hurriedly said: "This old slave dare not."

"You are an old man in my hidden residence, you have something to say."

Eunuch Chen pondered for a while, and said slowly: "The old slave is worried that King Kui, relying on His Majesty's favor, does not know how to restrain himself when he is outside. Sooner or later, he will endanger the country and His Majesty."

The emperor was noncommittal after hearing this, and said indifferently: "What do you think of Shen Jia?"

"Look, he looks like a direct minister." Chen Jinzhong has been by the emperor's side for decades, and he has long seen that His Majesty attaches great importance to Shen Jia.When Shen Jia was summoned for the first time, he was left alone to reminisce about the past.

However, Chen Jinzhong didn't know the specific process of Shen Jia's acquaintance with the emperor, he only heard from His Majesty that they met once.

King Kui came out of the palace happily, and after being seen by interested people, it was rumored that His Majesty wanted to punish Shen Jia.Master Li told Shen Jia about the rumors outside, Shen Jia was not worried about whether she would be punished, but the household department was even more angry about spending money.Without further ado, he went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to ask for a correct answer.

"Just coaxed one away, and another one came." The emperor just had lunch, and said to Chen Jinzhong with a smile, "This day is really lively."

"Has Your Majesty seen Mr. Shen?" Eunuch Chen asked.

"Xuan." The emperor ordered.

As soon as Shen Jia entered the door, she knelt down on the ground with a "putong", and said righteously: "Your Majesty, the war has just ended, and a lot of waste is waiting to be done. The court is just at the time of spending money. However, the Yongwen Dynasty has a huge deficit. It’s just eating enough food, how can His Majesty spend 50 taels of silver for a single royal residence at this moment?”

The emperor said indifferently: "50 taels to build a palace is actually not too much."

"I believe that the palace has been built for more than a year, and the Ministry of Households has allocated funds for several times. There are already several million taels, but the prince is still not satisfied." Shen Jia said bluntly, "Your Majesty, I doubt whether the scale of the palace is too large or whether it has exceeded the limit. , must be reviewed and judged by officials of the Ministry of Industry.”

The emperor frowned slightly, "I have seen the construction plan of King Kui's palace, and there is nothing wrong with it."

"However, 50 is too much." Shen Jia still refused to compromise.

The emperor asked again: "Changqing, why are you here to talk about this?"

Shen Jia was taken aback, "Yes."

"Aren't you worried about being demoted and punished?"

Shen Jia said indifferently: "I have been demoted a long time ago, so I am fearless. Moreover, I believe that Your Majesty is a wise ruler and will be able to make a clear decision."

This is putting a high hat on the emperor, Shen Jia looks upright, but not pedantic, and wants to achieve her goal by beating around the bush.

The emperor smiled, "I see, you go down."